It's Time to Legalize Prostitution!

Every few years, some pundit or politician rekindles the debate over legalizing prostitution, but now author Ronald Weitzer has offered one of the most persuasive arguments against criminalization. Summarized in a Salon interview, Weitzer’s book Legalizing Prostitution: From Illicit Vice to Lawful Business argues that current laws simply force the sex economy underground—placing hookers in greater danger. And he doesn’t buy the argument that prostitution should remain illegal because it results in violence. “We know that domestic violence happens between husbands and wives, but nobody’s arguing to criminalize marriage.”